Throw away your Canola oil, dump the soybean down the drain, and if any of you still use Crisco, Santa’s bringing you coal this year. It can be tempting to save a buck and choose the cheapest oil at the market, but what you save in the grocery aisle, you’ll pay to your doctor a hundred times over. Where would you rather see your money go?

It can be difficult to maneuver through the maze of propaganda regarding a “healthy diet”, especially since much of what we read is engineered by special interest groups, influenced by international trade, and subject to government bureaucracy at its best. Through one of many negative P.R. campaigns intended to boost the sales of domestic products like soybean oil, we were taught that animal and other saturated fats were causing our cardiac downfall, and a switch to unsaturated fats was our healthiest alternative. To see the flaw in this logic, we must only look to areas of the world that ignored these notions and maintained their traditional diets; many Mediterranean, Inuit, and Polynesian peoples who ate fats and oils from nuts and animals, as they had always done, remained healthy and continued to flourish.

Have you ever wondered why some leftovers get a “stale” taste after only a few hours – even when refrigerated? Chances are they were cooked with unsaturated oils (veggie, flaxseed, sunflower, olive oil, etc.) which literally became rancid. Fresh unsaturated oils are even worse: once eaten, the combination of heat and oxygen causes the oil to oxidize and it quickly goes bad inside your body. One of coconut oil’s many boons is the molecular stability of its saturated fats. It won’t suffer this heat damage, and won’t become rancid even after one year at room temperature.

Without delving terribly far into the wonderful world of medium chain triglycerides, myristic acid, ethanolamide, and fatty alcohol ether sulphate, I’ll summarize some of the salient benefits provided by coconut oil. I encourage you to explore the resources posted throughout this article, and really examine what you’re putting into your body. Consider the processes used to make your cooking oils, and where the ingredients are coming from (for example, anything containing Canola oil is made from Rapeseed oil, which is poisonous to living things). As always, when in doubt, dowse it!

Alzheimer’s & Other Degenerative Diseases: Linked is an interesting and personal case study that argues for future research on coconut oil and its ketone bodies (or ketoacids) and their ability to prevent and treat a number of degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, drug resistant epilepsy, and more. Additionally, the antioxidant properties in coconut oil help to prevent premature aging and other degenerative diseases.

Bones & Teeth: Because of its ability to improve the absorption of essential minerals, including calcium and magnesium, coconut oil aids the development of strong bones and teeth, and is useful for women who are prone to osteoporosis after middle age. It also stops tooth decay.

Digestion: Internal use of coconut oil occurs primarily as cooking oil, and can prevent various stomach and digestion related problems, to include irritable bowel syndrome. The saturated fats contain antimicrobial properties that assist the body in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, parasites, and other causes of indigestion. This oil also helps the body to absorb other nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Hair Care: Massaging the head with coconut oil will ensure the scalp is free of dandruff, lice, and lice eggs, even if your scalp is dry. It is an excellent conditioner and provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair.

Healing & Infections: When applied on infections, coconut oil forms a chemical layer which protects the infected body part from external dust, air, fungi, bacteria, and virus. The oil is also effective on bruises because it speeds up the healing process by repairing damaged tissues.

Heart Disease: As a result of misleading propaganda, we have been led to believe the saturated fats present in coconut oil are bad for the heart. However, this oil is actually beneficial because it contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in preventing high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and other heart related problems.

HIV & Cancer: Studies since the 1920’s have shown an association between the consumption of unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer. Additionally, the antiviral properties reduce the susceptibility of HIV and cancer patients to infections.

Immunity: The antimicrobial lipids, capric acid, caprylic acid, and lauric acid have antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties to strengthen the immune system. Our bodies convert lauric acid into monolaurin, which helps us fend off diseases and infection – the only other thing in nature that contains a similarly high concentration of lauric acid is breast milk!! According to the Coconut Research Center the oil kills viruses that cause influenza, measles, hepatitis, herpes, HIV, cytomegalovirus, and SARS, bacteria that causes ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and is also an effective treatment for the fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete’s foot, thrush, and diaper rash.

Kidney & Liver & Pancreas: The medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids help to prevent diseases because they are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver. This reduces the burden on the liver and prevents the accumulation of fat. The oil prevents kidney and gall bladder diseases and helps in dissolving kidney stones. The pancreas also benefits from a reduced work load and the the symptoms of pancreatitis can be combated or prevented.

Skin Care: Excellent as a massage oil, it acts as an effective moisturizer on all skin types, with benefits comparable to mineral oil (only without the risk of mineral oil’s side effects). Coconut oil delays wrinkles and sagging skin, while also helping to treat a variety of skin problems, including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema, and other skin infections. Additionally, coconut oil reduces our body’s need for vitamin E, whereas unsaturated oils actually deplete our reserve.

Weight Loss: Everyone wants the miracle weight loss treatment – here it is. The short and medium chain fatty acids help to take off excessive weight. This oil is easy to digest and helps the thyroid and enzyme systems to function properly. It increases the body’s metabolism by removing stress on the organs, allowing more efficient energy usage. In the 1940’s, farmers tried to use coconut oil to fatten their cattle because it was so cheap, but it only made the animals lean and active and with an increased appetite!